House of Lector
by Melda Burke
Summary: While on the run from the law, Dr. Lector makes a necessary detoure through New Jersey. After saving a girl from being gunned down, he is rushed to a free clinic. There he encounters a rival and equal, the infamous bad-tempered genius Dr. Gregory House. Together, they are the only hope to save the life of a patient struck down by a rare disease.
1. Chapter 1

The doctor grimaced as he walked along the deserted streets. Any decent person would avoid this disgusting unclean city, but he was still on the run as of yet. His plan to escape meant that he would have to hop from city to city in the US, sometimes backtracking or going in loops on the interstate and creating a knotted mess of things and confusing the hell out of his pursuers. He could not return to Italy anytime soon, but he felt such a longing for the beauty of Rome and Venice.

He could smell such a stench radiating from the alley he had passed, it was a scent of decay. Rotting meat, the flesh of a victim foolhardy enough to do as Dr. Lector dared now. Judging from the clothes and the smashed bottled of cheap spirits, the remains had been a vagrant woman just trying to survive a night on the streets of the hellhole known as New Jersey.

He felt nothing but a slight annoyance until he had cleared the range of the rank odour. His hotel was not that far away now, he thought as he crested the hill. He could see the bright lights warm and beckoning to him on this chilly summer night. He was forced to park his car far away from the entrance, he didn't trust that pockmarked young valet with his beautiful Italien-made luxury car, especially after that glint in the boy's eyes that spoke of a reckless joyride at the doctor's expense.

He had just reached the awning stretching out and over the hotel doors when he heard a powerful engine roaring behind him. Several older women dressed tastefully in evening gowns were clustered around the doors talking while a middle-aged Asian man enjoyed a cigar opposite them. A valet, this one a college age girl with a trustworthy face, escorted one of the ladies into a waiting limousine. The sound of the engine was getting closer, causing curious heads to turn.

Curiousity turned to terror as the black car's breaks screeched it to a halt. A rifle appeared. "Take this, you rich bastards!" A flurry of bullets came at the helpless people from every window of the car. Lector tackled the girl to the ground, shielding her. A bullet ripped into his leg, then another in his back.

She whimpered, her red hair plastered to her face. "Please, help me." He blinked, he must be losing a lot of blood. t She moaned and wept Iinto his shoulder. "Plea-"

"Calm down," He heard himself slurring. "Focus on me, please. You are safe."

She moved her hand down his back, her fingers came back smeared with blood. "Oh, God, you were shot!"

Someone screamed from the hotel lobby. "Call 911!"

His vision was blurring. "It's alright, you will be fine, Clarice."

"My name is Rachel-" she stammered.

"Yes, my apologies. You remind me of- nevermind... are you hurt?"

She didn't answer, she was staring off to the side. "H-hey, what's wrong with him? Was he shot, too?" He followed her gaze to see the Asian man convulsing.

Dr. Lector looked away and sighed. "No, that man is having a siezure." His vision was going dark and he was going to fade into unconciousness soon. "Unfortunately for him, I am about to pass out." And with that said, his eyes closed and his body went limp.


	2. Chapter 2

People darted past one another in the clinic, barely managing not to run head-first into each other. Gurneys screeched around corners as critically injured victims were wheeled through the ER. Dr. Chase dodged a nurse who sped by him dragging a cooler presumably full of blood packs. "Watch it, no running!" However, she was already out of earshot and not paying him any attention anyway.

"I tawt I heard an idiot," Dr. House stepped out of his office with an annoyed expression. He looked pointedly at Dr. Chase. " I did, I did!"

"Could you take day off from being an asshole?" He shot back. " We are all trying to handle a situation here."

"Unfortunately, the position of asshole doesn't provide a paid vacation and I really don't want to use up my sick days." House frowned at a little kid who stuck out his tongue at him when they reached the waiting room. " If your face sticks that way, I won't let them fix it." The kid paled and put away his tongue while his doting mother glared .

"You haven't asked what the situation is. Aren't you curious?"

"Nope." He said indifferently.

"But you're always curious." Chase replied with evident confusement. " A situation isn't boring. It is exactly the kind of thing you would drool over and wheedle everyone until you are put at the head of the case."

"But I already have a case, a big one. Maybe someday if you eat your vegetables you will grow up big and smart like daddy and take on lots of big, mean cases." House smirked as he walked away withe yellow folder he had picked at the desk. He glanced through it, a clever gleam glinting in his eyes as the elevator doors closed behind him.

Cuddy was speaking with two police officers when House barged in. " What a fine day it is, don't you think? A perfect day for doctoring a serial killer." He looked at her. " Why did you give me his case? I presume it might be because you are testing me because you want to watch him and I have it out in a full-scale mental brawl for the aknowledgement of superior intelligence."

"No," Dr. Cuddy said. "I thought you might have fun with Dr. Lector. But the mental battle for dominance does sound entertaining."She added in a wry manner.

He studied her suspiciously. " Fun? You never want me to have fun, in fact I would say you go out of your way to make sure that I do not have fun." His eyes narrowed. " What is this really about?" They stared at each other, neither willing to look away first. "No."

She rolled her eyes. "Stop being a child, we have to keep an eye on Lector until he is well enough to be taken into c custody. A few days, at the most."

"I have clinic duty." He countered. " What about all of those poor STD-riddled teenagers, and snot nosed brats, and old people suffering from severe hemorrhoids? I can't keep my adoring public waiting."

"Your 'adoring public' will be attended to."She took on a sly look. "He asked specifically for you."

"...interesting..." He mused, then turned abruptly on his heel and left.

Cuddy smiled at the officers. "I apologize for the interruption, what were you saying?"


	3. Chapter 3

Dr. Lecter awoke to the familiar smell of hospital cleaning chemicals. He smiled as he felt a faint throb in his calf and back when he tried to move. They must have kept the pain killer dose very low in order to discourage him from escaping. Curious, he lightly pulled at his wrists and found them to be handcuffed to the bed just as he expected. His feet were also shackled.

"Ah, you're awake." He looked over to see a scruffy man sitting in the chair next to him.

Dr. Lecter scrutinized Dr. House very closely. He was dressed in sneakers and jeans. He obviously cared to appear as if he did not care about his appearance at all. His breath smelled of pills, anyone with a sensitive nose would recognize that bitter scent on a person's breath. The most common reason for taking pills was pain. He took notice of the cane leaning up against the wall. Ah, there we go. "An addiction, Dr. House? How...cliché."

"So, Sherlock, did you deduce that from the color of my hair and position of my shoelaces?" House said sarcastically.

"You are rude." He said disdainfully.

Dr. House leaned over him. "Yeah, and you're a serial killer. Why did you let yourself be caught?"

Dr. Lecter smirked darkly. "And how do you know I intended to be caught?"

House rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on. You are a genius and you have outwitted the cops more often than Joan Rivers got Botox. You're not the type to risk getting caught saving a random girl, either. You did that on purpose,_ with_ a purpose, you knew would end up here. The question is why?"

"There was a man at the shooting who had a seizure. He must have been brought in with the other victims. He was young, tall, and of Asian descent. He was not an epileptic. He would have had a service dog."

House rubbed at the three day old stubble on his chin. "Not all epileptics have a service dog."

"No, but he appeared confused and disoriented. He would not have been so afraid if he realized he was having an episode. Many epileptics can recognize the signs and are able to calmly get help in time and the service dogs are there for those who have unpredictable seizures."

Dr. House sighed and flopped a folder onto Lecter's lap. "You're right, no history of epilepsy or any sort of seizures." He crossed his legs. "I hate it when people are right."

"Because you might be wrong? Or is it because you relish being such a tortured genius?" Lecter grinned slyly at him.

"Oh, don't pull that psychological shit on me, Doc." He said dismissively. "You already know it won't work. Your Jedi mind tricks are like hypnosis."

Lecter laughed heartily. "Weak minds, huh? You are probably right." He chuckled. "And yes, I know, but you can't fault me for the joke. Even killers need a bit of humor."

Dr. House shrugged nonchalantly. "So, why does this non-epileptic kid peak your interest enough to risk getting strapped into Ol' Sparky?"

"I have instincts...I can sense things."

"Are you going to say that you see dead people?" House interrupted. "Because this is a hospital. Lots of dead people."

"I-" Dr. Taub came bursting into the room.

"Dr. House, your other patient just fell into a coma." He said quickly. "Dr. Cuddy wants you in there now."

House sighed. "Just when it was getting fun." He grabbed up the folder and left with Dr. Taub.

Dr. Lecter was left in silence and he smiled. This would certainly be fun. He enjoyed toying with the police, but the mystery that the young seizure victim had presented him reminded him of his younger days. Oddly enough, he was nostalgic in some ways for his years as a medical doctor. Who better to relive his glory days with than Dr. House? Oh, yes. He liked Dr. House well enough. People were so easy to read, after all. He could finally feel something of an equal in this man. As Gregory would say-"Interesting.."


End file.
